The 4G wireless systems must intelligently incorporate several existing computing and communications standards, including 802.11 and Bluetooth, in a seamless implementation used across diverse platforms. In addition, the low-cost 4G systems projected in two to four years will coincide with major advances in semiconductor process technology-a development that will lead to order-of-magnitude performance improvements and a rethinking of underlying signal processing theory application.

These 4G characteristics, particularly major advances in semiconductor technology, will redefine the potential of wireless-system design. Designers can use 4G silicon platforms to create systems that are limited only by imagination. Designers should adopt a flexible approach to 4G, and they should be aware of some universal design principles.

Digital signal processing technology will prove a cornerstone of leading 4G systems. But what's the right signal processing technology?

The answer lies in choosing a mix of programmable, semi-programmable and hardwired signal processing technologies.

Programmable DSP functionality will serve 4G systems well for functions and features that are new or untried or for features used by only a small portion of the platform's users. Semi-programmable signal processing is ideal for functions such as forward error correction that require infinite programmability within a narrow range of tasks.

Hardwired signal processing, which can be implemented with fewer transistors and lower power requirements, will best serve functions that are well-understood, will never change in the system and are widely used. Viterbi acceleration is an example.

Gene Frantz is the TI Principal Fellow at Texas Instruments Inc. in Dallas.